The Greenwood GROW program, which offers matching grants for exterior renovations to downtown businesses, has provided funding for three buildings and is considering funding for three additional properties, including the Grafton Peek building. Scott Roberson / Daily Journal

Historic Greenwood building up for sale

A historic building at the center of downtown Greenwood is up for sale.

Grafton Peek, a two-story brick building at the northeast corner of the intersection of Main Street and Madison Avenue, could soon host a new business or restaurant.

Jason West, owner of Grafton Peek since 2006, has used part of the first floor as office space for his catering businesses, while renting out the upstairs ballroom for receptions and events. But now, he’s ready to sell or lease the building.

“Seems like a good opportunity to allow someone else with a more exciting idea to come in and do something with the property,” West said.

Grafton Peek, built in 1884, was believed to be the first general store in Greenwood. The brick building has hosted a variety of businesses prior to being purchased by West more than a decade ago, including a hair salon and town hall. Grafton Peek is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Greenwood Commercial Historic District.

With all of the development coming to downtown Greenwood, from the recently complete facade improvements to the more than $20 million in city projects planned over the next decade, now seemed like the right time to test the market and see if someone is willing to purchase the property, West said.

As a prominent location in downtown Greenwood, at an intersection 26,000 cars go through every day, the building has many potential uses, said Chris Hilligoss, the owner of Cardinal realtors, which is marketing the property.

“It could be anything from a retail shop to an office building,” he said.

The nearly 6,000-square-foot building doesn’t have a kitchen, but does have plumbing and gas connections for one to be easily set up, West said. The upstairs ballroom serves an event venue for up to 150 people. In recent years, West has done typical maintenance and replaced windows, West said.

West had previously requested and gotten initial approval for a nearly $19,000 matching grant from the Greenwood Redevelopment Commission’s GROW program. The money would have been used for repairing the brick facade along Madison Avenue, replacing the metal flashing with a limestone cap on top of the building, replacing gutters, improving lighting, replacing a second story window and adding a painted sign. But since he is now considering selling or leasing the property, he won’t be accepting those funds, he said.

“If we sell, that would be up to the new owner to go back through the GROW program and decide what they want to do,” West said.

The redevelopment commission had also considered helping fund a more extensive exterior remodel of Grafton Peek in line with the facade improvements made to other downtown properties, and would be willing to work with a new owner as well if the building is sold, redevelopment commission president Brent Tilson said.

“It would be ideal to see that building restored to its original design and features,” he said.

West won’t be leaving the catering industry. Much of his business is run out of another building on Main Street, so selling Grafton Peek won’t put a stop to it, he said. If he does find a buyer, he will make arrangements for all of the clients who had previously booked the ballroom, he said.